Vol. 501 No. 5
23 Mr. Gilmore asked the Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs if persons who were in receipt of disability allowance before 1 August 1999 and lost their entitlement when they entered an institution will now be entitled to regain the allowance. [6439/99]
The Commission on the Status of People with Disabilities has recom mended that people with disabilities in residential care should have the same entitlement to an income as a person living in the community. At the moment people receiving disability allowance generally lose entitlement if they go into long-term residential care. Their maintenance costs and an element of pocket money are then met through funding from the health boards.
It is estimated that there are currently in the region of 5,300 people with disabilities in full-time residential care who are not in receipt of any social welfare payment. The full-year cost of paying disability allowance to this group would amount to some £25 million.
Since the take-over of the disability allowance scheme from the health boards, a number of measures have been introduced to progressively relax this qualification. For instance, disability allowance continues to be paid for up to 13 weeks where the recipient goes into hospital. In addition, disability allowance is paid at half-rate in the case of those in part-time residential care.
As part of the recent budget package, I announced another step in the direction of meeting the commission's recommendation. With effect from 1 August 1999, existing recipients of disability allowance will be able to retain their entitlement to the allowance where they go into hospital or residential care. However, this will not apply to people who will already have lost entitlement to disability allowance, having entered residential care before 1 August 1999. The legislative provisions relating to this improvement are contained in the Social Welfare Bill, which is currently before the Dáil.
While the improvements in the residency conditions for entitlement to disability allowance which have already been introduced are of benefit to many people with disabilities, it is nevertheless recognised that much more needs to be done. In this regard, the potential for further enhancements to the system will continue to be examined in the light of the recommendations contained in the report of the Commission on the Status of People with Disabilities and having regard to available resources.
